All very Machiavellian. Not Christian at all, though. But it could be “divine”, if we are dealing with “the God of Surprises”…

Original note in Italian below, with full translation:
SURPRISE!
Three notes before the translation:

1) The headquarters of the Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX) in Italy are located in the diocese of Albano, right outside Rome, near Castel Gandolfo.

2) Marcello Semeraro is not just any bishop. He is extremely close to Pope Francis, and is the only non-cardinal (with a secretarial and assistant position) in the most influential body in this pontificate, the Council of 8 Cardinals (now 9, with the Secretary of State), in charge of the reform of the Curia and of Church structures at large.

3) Bp. Semeraro is also the “media man” of the Italian Conference of Bishops (CEI) and main bishop with oversight of the Italian daily Avvenire, where this note was also published.

***

Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano

NOTIFICATION TO PASTORS [PARISH PRIESTS]
ON THE “SOCIETY OF SAINT PIUS X”

In the past few weeks, requests of clarification have reached the Diocesan Chancery regarding the celebration of Sacraments at the “Society of Saint Pius X” of Albano Laziale.

Regarding it, it is right and proper to point out that the above-mentioned “Society” is not an institution (neither parish, nor association) of the Catholic Church.

This applies even after the decree of the Congregation for Bishops of January 21, 2009, by which the Holy Father Benedict XVI, reaching out in good will in response to reiterated requests by the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X, revoked the excommunication in which the four Prelated had incurred since June 30, 1988.

This was highlighted by Benedict XVI with his Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church of March 10, 2009: “the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers – even though they have been freed of the ecclesiastical penalty – do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church.” (in AAS CI [2009], n. 4, p. 272). The same Benedict XVI, in the following Letter m. p. Ecclesiae Unitatem, of July 2, 2009, added: “the remission of the excommunication was a measure taken in the context of ecclesiastical discipline to free the individuals from the burden of conscience constituted by the most serious of ecclesiastical penalties. However, the doctrinal questions obviously remain and until they are clarified the Society has no canonical status in the Church and its ministers cannot legitimately exercise any ministry.” (in AAS CI [2009], p. 710-711).

As a consequence of the above, it is right and proper to restate what had been formulated in the Pastoral Note on the Society of Saint Pius X of [former bishop of Albano] Dante Bernini, in which it can be read:

The Catholic faithful cannot participate at Mass, neither request and/or receive Sacraments from or in the Society. Acting otherwise would mean to break communion with the Catholic Church.

Therefore, any Catholic faithful who requests and receives Sacraments in the Society of Saint Pius X, will place himself de facto in the condition of no longer being in communion with the Catholic Church. A readmission to the Catholic Church must be preceded by an adequate personal path of reconciliation, according to the ecclesiastical discipline established by the Bishop.

It is sincerely saddening that such options [measures], particularly when in reference to the Christian Initiation of Children and Adolescents, be in constrast with the pastoral orientations of the Italian Church and, consequently, with the choices of the Diocese of Albano, where formative paths for the growth and maturation of the life of faith are favored.

To the Parish priests, the duty of providing adequate information to the faithful.

From the Albano Chancery, October 14, 2014, Prot. 235/14.

+ Marcello Semeraro, Bishop.

…..boy howdy…..this is what happens when you give a staff to a guy with a red nose and inflatable shoes…..kinda brings up images of when Captain Kirk unwillingly(so they say) traded bodies with the evil Dr. Janice Lester and she(in kirks body) freaked out when she was losing control of the ship and started screaming “I’M THE CAPTAIN, I’M THE CAPTAIN”!!!…..yeah, it’s kinda like that…….

I would tell that idiot bishop to stuff his miter up a place where the sun does not shine. He does not have the the power to excommunicate anybody, since his NO church is the heretical church, not the SSPX . The SSPX has the only true Mass left. He should go to one, he might like it.

This canard: “the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers – even though they have been freed of the ecclesiastical penalty – do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church” has been discredited time and time again. It is an attempt by Modernist prelates to circumvent canon law, the supreme law being the salvation of souls. What would they say, for example, if a Catholic in danger of death requested the sacrament of Penance from a priest or bishop of the SSPX? Oh, so sorry, they’re not in communion with us. Just exactly what does “in communion with us” mean? I think we all know what it means.